Money IN/Money OUT Is Your Credit Condition Critical?

Read each of the following statements and circle the word that best describes your feelings about it. For each yes, give yourself 3 points; for each some, give yourself 1 point. The higher your score, the more serious your credit condition!

1. I often buy things I don't really need on credit.	Yes Some No
2. I think of credit as cash rather than debt.	Yes Some No
3. I have lied to a family member about the use of credit.	Yes Some No
4. I am not sure how much I owe.	Yes Some No
5. I depend on extra income from a second job or overtime to make ends meet.	Yes Some No
6. I regularly borrow from friends or relatives to make ends meet.	Yes Some No
7. I have less than two months take-home pay in savings or an emergency fund.	Yes Some No
8. I owe more than 7 creditors.	Yes Some No
9. I have several accounts that will take over a year to pay off.	Yes Some No
10. I make only the minimum monthly payments on charge accounts.	Yes Some No
11. I frequently have to take money out of savings or can not make regular contributions to a savings account.	Yes Some No
12. I use one credit card to make payments on other credit accounts.	Yes Some No
13. I am considering a consolidation loan.	Yes Some No
14. I juggle payments between months or skip payments on some accounts each month.	Yes Some No
15. I have purchased one or more household items through a rent-to-own plan.	Yes Some No

_{North Carolina State University
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
Family & Consumer Sciences Department}